enchanting ballerina-themed wedding

Inspired by Edgar Degas’ chalk pastel paintings of ballet dancers, today’s enchanting ballerina-themed wedding inspiration shoot from Melanie Gabrielle is brimming with romance, art, movement, beauty and a unique juxtaposition of impressionist influences against Ann Norton’s avant-garde garden statues – the effect is mesmerizing!

From Melanie Gabrielle – “I am and have always been inspired by movement and ballet so we envisioned a shoot inspired by the use of chalk pastels in Degas’ ballerina paintings. The shoot is a little on the moody side with lots of flickering candlelight and romantic tulle. For the floral design we used muted colors with an organic feel, overflowing from beautiful vessels.”

From Janderyn of Earth and Sugar – “Creating a cake for this styled shoot was such an artistic process, and we felt that given the mark Edgar Degas made in history, it was a piece we needed to make memorable. Degas was one of the founding members of Impressionism. Impressionists painted the realities of the world using bright colors that focused on light and its changing qualities as well as movement and visual angles.

Although Degas used different mediums when creating his art, we focused on replicating the chalk pastel pieces. Nicole from Sparrow and Grain is one of our in-house cake artists, and with her background in fine arts and knowledge of Degas’ artwork she was able to replicate the design we had hoped for by using the ballerinas and creating movement where you see the sketched dancers giving the illusion that they are walking around the bottom of the cake.

What I loved most about the ballerinas on this cake is that they were not only your typical ballerinas – we stayed true to his love for all types of ballerinas, which included young dancers as well as full-figured dancers that created the unforgettable pieces that changed the history of art forever.”

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Photography, Creative Direction & Design: Melanie Gabrielle // Remote Styling & Creative Direction and Design: Jessica Sloane // Rentals: Unearthed Vintage // Cake: Earth and Sugar // Degas Renditions: Sparrow and Grain // Floral Design: Julia Rohde Designs // Silk Ribbon: Frou Frou Chic // Lace Robe & Tulle Skirt: Girl with a Serious Dream // Venue: Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Part of the Wedding Inspiration Shoot Contest